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The opening weekend of Vivid Sydney has seen more than 326,000 attendees take in the world’s largest festival of light, music & ideas.

Minister For Tourism & Major Events, Adam Marshall, said “Vivid Sydney promised to return bigger, bolder & brighter with a program that would delight visitors from around the world & it has certainly achieved that with more than 326,000 attendees celebrating the opening weekend”

“The festival continues to be warmly received & we have already seen a 10% increase on last year’s opening weekend attendance which is fantastic news for the state’s visitor economy”

“With more than 2 weeks of Vivid Sydney remaining, there is still plenty of time to be part of Australia’s largest event. With a remarkable line-up of events still to come, I encourage everyone to plan ahead & visit more than once to get the most out of their Vivid Sydney experience”

Families can start their Vivid Sydney experience earlier in the evening with lights on at 5:30pm AEST at Chatswood’s futuristic steampunk world & Taronga Zoo’s Lights For The Wild. Darling Harbour’s Magicians Of The Mist & the immersive Trapdoor at Vivid Sydney’s new precinct Barangaroo (South) are also proving popular for families.

The Light Walk continues to impress & extends from The Rocks to Circular Quay where the city’s laneways feature many hidden gems & into the Royal Botanic Gardens which is delighting visitors with grand sunflowers and Birds Of Lumos. Martin Place is also winning foodie fans with its gourmet delights & Urban Tree 2.0.

Highlights still to come include Vivid Ideas Game-Changer, Shepard Fairey, who will live paint a mural in the central business district as well as a huge program of music events across the city including Curve Ball at Carriageworks & the Eye Live Project at Sydney Tower Eye.

Visitors to Vivid Sydney are encouraged to plan ahead & take advantage of the extra 9,000 public transport services running during the festival & importantly, to leave the car at home.

Vivid Sydney is owned, managed & produced by Destination New South Wales (NSW), the NSW Government’s tourism and major events agency & continues until Saturday the 17th of June 2017. For more information, visit www.vividsydney.com.

About Vivid Sydney

Vivid Sydney is the world’s largest festival of light, music & ideas, which for 23 days – from the 26th of May to the 17th of June 2017 – transforms the ‘Harbour City’ with its unique, colourful, creative canvas. In 2016, Vivid Sydney attracted a record 2.31 million attendees. Vivid Sydney is owned, managed & produced by Destination NSW, the NSW Government’s tourism & major events agency. Vivid Sydney features large scale light installations & projections – Vivid Light; music performances & collaborations – Vivid Music (including Vivid LIVE At The Sydney Opera House) & creative ideas, discussion and debate – Vivid Ideas, all celebrating Sydney as the creative hub of the Asia-Pacific. Vivid Sydney is in its 9th year. For more information, visit www.vividsydney.com.

The wonder of Vivid Sydney 2017 will be enjoyed through an exclusively designed Snapchat lens, live streams on Facebook, a specially curated Spotify playlist as well as an improved smartphone application & website, further enhancing the Vivid Sydney experience for visitors.

“Vivid Sydney 2017 will be bigger, bolder and brighter than ever before, and we’re making sure the digital experience for our visitors is as well,” Ms Chipchase said.

“Last year Vivid Sydney attracted a record 2.31 million attendees, and this year we expect the festival to be just as popular”

“We know how important digital technology is to people’s lives, and we encourage all visitors to Vivid Sydney to share their images and experiences on their digital platforms”

“At its core, Vivid Sydney is about embracing new technologies, and our digital offering must reflect that” she said.

In 2017 Snapchat will offer a specially designed lens – an animated graphic which can be overlayed on a user’s face to augment the image. The exclusive Vivid Sydney lens, inspired by the animated Vivid Sydney ribbon graphic, will see neon patterns layered over the face of the person in the picture.

Snapchat Geofilters will also be available, providing a fun way for visitors to share where they are by adding a location overlay to their Snap. Vivid Sydney has exclusively reserved five geographic precincts including Circular Quay, Taronga Zoo, Tumbalong Park, Kings Cross and the MCA throughout the festival.

“As Snapchat users pass into the precinct they will be able to choose from the set of five geo-filters, which will in turn encourage attendees to make sure they explore multiple precincts to collect the full Vivid Sydney set,” Ms Chipchase said.

In another first, Vivid Sydney 2017 will also offer audio files via its smartphone application and website, which provide an audio description of each light installation and key venue.

“People who use the Vivid Sydney 2017 smartphone application will be able to listen to audio descriptions of the artworks, with beacon technology triggering the files to play as people pass by each artwork and through the different precincts,” Ms Chipchase said.

Vivid Sydney has bathed Sydney in breathtaking colour & a dizzying array of special effects as the world’s largest festival of light, music & ideas switched on for 23 nights from 6pm tonight, the 26th of May 2017.

Featuring 7 light precincts & more than 90 large scale light installations and projections, Vivid Sydney will run bigger, bolder & brighter until the 17th of June.

New South Wales (NSW) Minister For Tourism & Major Events, Adam Marshall, said “It Is all systems go as the city becomes a massive, creative canvas from tonight, with art & technology coming together to present awe-inspiring creations conjured by some of the world’s leading creative minds & technology innovators”

“Visitors to Vivid Sydney come for the lights & stay for the sights of this great state. In 2016, Vivid Sydney welcomed a record-breaking 2.31 million attendees. In 2017, we are hoping to surpass last year’s massive AUD$110 million injection into our state’s visitor economy” he said.

More than 180 local & international artists have created the light installations & projections for Vivid Sydney including The Rocks, Campbell’s Cove, the Royal Botanic Gardens, Taronga Zoo, Martin Place, Darling Harbour & festival debutante, Barangaroo (South).

Projections will illuminate iconic buildings & landmarks throughout the city including the Sydney Harbour Bridge & the Museum Of Contemporary Art as well as the organic backdrops of enormous trees & natural rockscapes in the Royal Botanic Gardens.

The ultimate canvas, the sails of the Sydney Opera House will feature Audio Creatures, an indescribable world of colour & light featuring imaginary sea creatures lurking deep in the harbour & shimmering plant life.

Special effects & animations are found at every turn from the ground below visitors’ feet at Barangaroo (South) to Darling Harbour’s Magicians Of The Mist, a 50 metre high water fountain featuring 40 metre high projections, lasers, fireworks, flames & a dramatic soundtrack.

North of the Harbour, a steampunk waterworld themed adventure awaits in Chatswood while giant illuminated lanterns of endangered animals are sparking conversations about conservation at Taronga Zoo.

Destination NSW Chief Executive Officer & Executive Producer of Vivid Sydney,Sandra Chipchase, said “Over the next 23 days, visitors can take their pick of hundreds of events including more than 284 Vivid Ideas discussions and creative forums in 59 venues that will explore our creative future or more than 390 Vivid Music performances in more than 40 venues featuring a range of genres from indie folk & electronic music to musical theatre & jazz”

Festival highlights include:

Light

Lighting Of The Sails: Audio Creatures: The Sails of the World-Heritage listed Sydney Opera House will be brought to life by Audio Creatures: a series of imaginary creatures curated and designed by visionary director Ash Bolland. Audio Creatures will feature morphing and mesmeric marine creatures and plant life, cut with sleek futuristic technology across the iconic Sails. Audio Creatures will be set to a bespoke soundtrack by Brazilian electronic producer Amon Tobin.

Organic Vibrations: Australian contemporary artist Julia Gorman and French collective Danny Rose will create a new artwork projected onto the heritage-listed façade of the Museum of Contemporary Art Australia (MCA). The installation will use projection-mapping techniques to bring to life images originally made by Gorman in watercolour, oils, and marker pen depicting sinuous lines and colours inspired by the natural world. (The Rocks)

Magicians Of The Mist: Fantastical fountains, flame jets, lasers, music, fireworks and walls of water show the power of creativity and innovation in this spectacular projection. (Darling Harbour)

Trapdoor: Discover what optical illusions are in store if you dare to step onto this fantastical floor mural that tells otherworldly stories of Barangaroo. (Barangaroo South)

Electric Forest: The forest comes to life as never before, from wild hanging fruits to schools of fish, when you enter this strange world of illuminated plants, illusions and a psychoacoustic soundtrack. (The Royal Botanic Garden Sydney)

Lights For The Wild: Shine a light on the plight of endangered animals with your interactive wristband and gaze in amazement at the beauty of these majestic, giant illuminated lanterns – you can even step into the mouth of PJ the Port Jackson Shark! (Taronga Zoo)

Steampunk Waterworld: Peer into an incredible submerged steampunk water world of lights, sounds and special effects at the Reflection Pool in The Concourse. (Chatswood)

Hidden Sydney – The Glittering Mile: The roller coaster ride into the story of Kings Cross and the colourful cast of characters from its gritty, glittery past. (25 May – 18 June, The World Bar, Kings Cross).

Dappled Cities: One of the most beloved indie bands to emerge from Sydney over the past two decades presents new album IIIII (pronounced five), complete with immersive lighting spectacle in this one-off concert. (4 June, City Recital Hall)

Ideas

Game-Changer Talks Series: Hear from the creative forces shaping our world and lives, including Buzzfeed founder, CEO and media visionary Jonah Peretti. (28 May, City Recital Hall); influential Academy Award-winning director Oliver Stone (28 May, City Recital Hall) and iconic American artist Shepard Fairey (17 June, Sydney Town Hall). Fairey, the artist behind the Barack Obama HOPE campaign, will also create a public mural in the heart of Sydney’s CBD during the festival, while an exhibition of his music-themed works is on display at Darling Quarter.

The Sunrise Conference: Delve deep into the future of technology, business and innovative start-up ecosystems at this enlightening forum.(31 May)

Semi Permanent: Hear about our innovation future straight from the source in a series of interactive, immersive experiences with world leading innovators from Getty Images, Nike, Uber, Google and more. ( 25-27 May)

Clipped Music Video Festival: Learn from artists and filmmakers at this creative hub as they collaborate and debate and celebrate the art form of music videos. (3 June)

Good Design Festival: Join design luminaries, experience the best in all things design and celebrate the winners of the 2017 Good Design Awards and exhibition. ( 8-11 June)

The Vivid Ideas Exchange: You name it, there’s probably a session about it, debating and dissecting everything from fashion to placemaking, storytelling, ageism, marketing, health, innovation, big data and mixed reality. Events at the Vivid Ideas Exchange run every day from 10am to 5pm on Level 6, Museum Contemporary Art Australia throughout Vivid Sydney.

There will be something old & something new as retro & future worlds collide when Vivid Sydney morphs Chatswood into a steampunk-themed world where technology & light fuses with 19th century steam-powered machinery. Interactive light installations will transform the Chatswood central business district into a funky smart city complete with people-powered steam engines, a giant drumming octopus, underwater worlds & sustainable cities perched in the sky as the bustling precinct is reinvented.

New South Wales (NSW) Premier Gladys Berejiklian said: “As the Member for Willoughby, I am proud that Chatswood is part of Australia’s largest event which entertains locals & visitors alike, attracting a record 2.31 million visitors & injecting $110 million into NSW’s visitor economy last year alone”

“Since 2015, Chatswood has delighted visitors with thought-provoking creative works, bringing cultures, communities, artists & local businesses together while delivering these tremendous benefits to the NSW economy. This year is no exception & is set to amaze and delight with an explosion of light & colour.”

NSW Minister For Tourism & Major Events, Adam Marshall, said: “Chatswood is a vibrant, bustling destination that goes from strength to strength as a Vivid Sydney precinct. This year’s light installations will again amaze, inspire and engage visitors & get them thinking too, with projections shining a light on future worlds & sustainable communities. As a thriving retail & dining hotspot, visitors will be spoilt for choice with so many options on the menu to make their trip to Vivid a complete night out.”

Highlights include:

Voxelscape: Cue the lights! Exit the Interchange & enter a 3-dimensional lightshow as more than 9,000 light-emitting diode spheres glow in the vast air space above you – all viewable from any level of the Chatswood Interchange.

Future City, Smart City: A fantastical future world is waiting to be discovered. You will see people take to the air in whimsical airships & an airborne, sustainable community emerge in the sky in this feature projection on the futuristic sails of The Concourse.

Steampunk Waterworld: What lies beneath? Peer into the reflection pool on The Concourse to discover the magic of this submerged world that pays homage to the likes of Jules Verne through light, sound & special effects.

Crossword: What will you say? All is revealed when you wander through a glimmering canopy of light in Chatswood Mall to the Victor Street intersection & discover this installation sending hidden messages mid-air & onto revellers.

Light Bounce: Those who cannot wait for sundown to enjoy the lights can wander through an enchanting, sparkling forest of refractive light in a captivating daytime installation at Chatswood Chase Sydney.

Go on a food adventure: Visitors can enjoy dozens of dining options throughout the precinct. Take a foodie journey around the world with international cuisines at The District at Chatswood Interchange, a stroll down Hawker Lane for authentic Asian street-food at Westfield Chatswood, see the light show while dining alfresco on The Concourse, or tuck into specially created Vivid dishes, from Orchard Tavern’s Vivid Burger to The Choc Pot’s decadent Chocolate Vivid Dessert.

Vivid Sydney will light up Chatswood from 5:30pm – 10:30pm every evening from Friday the 26th of May to Saturday the 17th of June. Light Bounce at Chatswood Chase Sydney will operate from 9am – 5:30pm daily & until 9pm on Thursdays.

About Vivid Sydney

Vivid Sydney is the world’s largest festival of light, music & ideas, which for 23 days – from 26 May to 17 June 2017 – transforms the ‘Harbour City’ with its unique colourful, creative canvas. In 2016, Vivid Sydney attracted a record 2.31 million attendees. Vivid Sydney is owned, managed & produced by Destination NSW, the NSW Government’s tourism & major events agency. Vivid Sydney features large scale light installations & projections – Vivid Light; music performances & collaborations – Vivid Music (including Vivid LIVE At The Sydney Opera House) & creative ideas, discussion & debate – Vivid Ideas, all celebrating Sydney as the creative hub of the Asia-Pacific. Vivid Sydney is in its 9th year. For more information, visit www.vividsydney.com.

Rock walls, tree canopies & the trunks of 100-year-old Ficus plants will be transformed into living canvases as Vivid Sydney artists’ unleash their creativity & put the environment in the spotlight when the Royal Botanic Gardens returns bigger, bolder & brighter for this year’s Vivid Sydney festival.

Art, technology, flora & fauna will combine in a captivating showcase of light installations featuring cutting edge developments in projection, lighting & sound that will entertain & delight visitors as well as explore important conservation issues.

Minister For Tourism and Major Events & Assistant Minister For Skills, Adam Marshall, said “One of this year’s highlights at the Royal Botanic Gardens is Electric Forest, a dynamic collaboration between Vivid Sydney and Tertiary & Further Education New South Wales (TAFE NSW), designed & constructed by current TAFE NSW students.

“Electric Forest features music, lighting design, animation and projection-mapping onto the Gardens’ magnificent fig trees & is designed to highlight both the natural beauty of the Royal Botanic Gardens and the talents of the next generation of designers, 3-dimensional artists, animators & electronic musicians”

Executive Director Of The Royal Botanic Gardens, Kim Ellis, said “Vivid Sydney is an awe-inspiring festival of light that dazzles & entertains us all with its brilliant cacophony of colours. It is also a powerful platform for artists & creative thinkers to challenge, provoke & encourage visitors to ponder bigger issues”

“This year’s lights will help spread a valuable message around sustainability & the importance of protecting fragile ecosystems delivered in the most captivating, natural botanical environment of all, the Royal Botanic Gardens”

Highlights include:

Birds Of Lumos: Birds of a feather? This illuminating mum & chick representing the rare rowi species of kiwi will melt hearts & highlight the importance of conservation when they come to life and try to avoid danger as visitors gather around them.

The Sunflowers: Ain’t no sunshine at night but that will not stop these charming, enormous potted sunflowers bowing down to welcome you as you pass by. This joyous, sustainable light sculpture uses solar energy harnessed by day to captivate visitors by night.

Spreading Life: Inspired by that most natural (and magical) of experiences: blowing on a dandelion. This installation captures the delicate moment when a dandelion’s seeds float off & spread through the air; a passage of nature — that shows us that as a flower dies, others are born.

You Lookin’ At Me?: The eyes have it in this captivating installation. A Vivid Sydney-take on the paintings where eyes follow your every move, you will encounter 5 giant, glaring, glowing eyeballs scattered across the grass. Watch them watch you – and find out what happens if you venture too close.

The Big Red Button: Will you press the button? This playful light sculpture dangles a carrot to the curious as it questions our impact on the environment & efforts being made to protect it. Will you be tempted to press the giant red button marked ‘Do Not Press’? And what will happen to the green environment if you do?

Dipping Birds: These sticky beaks are thirsty birds. A Vivid Sydney twist on the novelty ‘drinking bird’ toy that perched on the rim of a glass, 2 enormous bobbing birds stand over 2 metres tall in a pond in this hypnotic installation. The child in everyone will delight in the charming spectacle as the drinking buddies & the water change colour as they quench their thirst.

Waratah: Plants are more like us than we think. Find out how when this majestic, larger-than-life inflatable native flowering plant (and floral emblem of NSW) responds playfully & emotionally to sound and movement when visitors walk up & make direct contact.

Vivid Sydney at the Royal Botanic Gardens runs from 6pm to 11pm AEST every night from the 26th of May to the 17th of June.

ABOUT VIVID SYDNEY

Vivid Sydney is the world’s largest festival of light, music & ideas, which for 23 days – from the 26th of May to the 17th of June 2017 – transforms the ‘Harbour City’ with its unique colourful, creative canvas. In 2016, Vivid Sydney attracted a record 2.31 million attendees. Vivid Sydney is owned, managed & produced by Destination NSW, the NSW Government’s tourism & major events agency. Vivid Sydney features large scale light installations & projections – Vivid Light; music performances and collaborations – Vivid Music (including Vivid LIVE At The Sydney Opera House) & creative ideas, discussion and debate – Vivid Ideas, all celebrating Sydney as the creative hub of the Asia-Pacific. Vivid Sydney is in its 9th year. For more information, visit www.vividsydney.com.

ABOUT THE ROYAL BOTANIC GARDENS

Founded by Governor Macquarie on the traditional land of the Gadigal people, the Royal Botanic Gardens is Australia’s 1st scientific institution & oldest living botanic gardens. It has & continues to be a favourite place for visitors & Sydneysiders alike to come to share, to relax, to discover & to be inspired. For the 1stt time in its history, the Gardens partnered with Vivid Sydney in 2016 to light up & open up its gates after dark to celebrate its 200th birthday year milestone.

Sydney’s newest waterfront destination will burst into a spectacular kaleidoscope of light, colour & sound when Barangaroo (South) makes its Vivid Sydney debut with an illuminated trail of light installations from the 26th of May to the 17th of June 2017.

NSW Minister for Tourism and Major Events, Adam Marshall said: “For the first time Australia’s largest event will encompass Barangaroo (South) with a remarkable program that showcases Sydney’s newest harbourisde precinct to visitors from around the world.”

“Visitors to Vivid Sydney’s newest CBD precinct will uncover secret worlds and create their own universe as they wander and weave through the streets and laneways of Barangaroo before discovering a delicious dining destination.”

Light installations will be a feast for the senses (and sensors) as visitors become part of the artwork and ‘feel’ sounds matched to changing light; dive deep into the harbour to explore a magical waterworld; unearth the secrets of Barangaroo when the ‘ground’ opens; and go on a global voyage of discovery immersed in a personal sound bubble. Visitors can then enjoy a foodie paradise with the precinct offering a smorgasbord of dining options, whether guests are hungry for a quick ‘grab and go’ meal for their family, or a sit-down dinner to complete their date night.

Vivid Sydney at Barangaroo (South) highlights include:

A Day In The Light: Life becomes the art as you move through this immersive, multi-sensory experience, created by renowned French/Italian artistic collective Danny Rose. As light and sound blend to recreate the day from dawn to dark, you’ll ‘feel’ the sound of the changing shades of light.

Trapdoor: Did the earth move for you? Step into this incredible optical illusion if you dare and see a spectacular, mysterious, cavernous underworld open before your eyes – and under your feet. Fantastical floor murals and sensational scene swaps spring to life to tell the stories of Barangaroo.

You-niverse: An out of this world experience that puts you at the centre of your own ‘Youniverse’. Pop on the wireless silent disco headphones and go on a voyage of discovery through a kaleidoscope of vibrant visuals and spectacular soundscapes, where you’ll encounter everything from Indigenous Elders and global explorers, to yoga festivals and ‘doof-doof’ music at Australian bush parties.

What Lies Beneath: Ever wondered what secrets lurk in the waters of Sydney Harbour? Join a colourful cast of characters from another world as they explore the marvels and mysteries of one the world’s most beautiful bodies of water in this roving piece that will delight the young, and young at heart.

Migration: Barangaroo’s harbourside promenade comes to life under an animated canopy of sea creatures. Visitors will be bathed in a beautiful spectrum of blue as they stroll along the harbourside walk, with translucent manta rays floating above them to light the way.

After taking in the bright lights, enjoy a Vivid-inspired cocktail at Banksii, or keep the kids smiling with neon glow-in-the-dark hair spray and face art at Blown Lux, as well as delicious handmade brightly coloured chocolate lollipops at Oh! Boo Chocolates.

Vivid Sydney at Barangaroo (South) is easily accessible from Wynyard Station via Wynyard Walk and is just a short stroll from King Street Wharf and Darling Harbour. Visit www.vividsydney.com & www.barangaroo.sydney for more information.

With just 1 week to go until the city bursts into a brilliant array of colour for Vivid Sydney 2017, it is time to peer into the program & plan your perfect visit to the world’s largest celebration of light, music and ideas.

Over 23 nights from Friday 26 May to Saturday 17 June, Vivid Sydney 2017 – proudly owned, managed and produced by Destination NSW – will transform Sydney into a breathtaking vision of colour across seven precincts, including the introduction of the festival’s newest precinct, Barangaroo (South).

Destination NSW Chief Executive Officer and Vivid Sydney Executive Producer Sandra Chipchase said, “As Vivid Sydney continues to grow, so does the depth and breadth of events on offer. No matter what your interests, from niche to mainstream, Vivid Sydney has you covered, from creative collaborations, musical musings and maestros; to luminaries, instigators and disruptors redefining our creative future; and the ingenuity and innovation delivering Vivid Sydney’s boldest colourful canvas of lights ever.

“Pick your program and precinct highlights and plan your visit to Vivid Sydney now to make the most of the ample opportunities to experience the city at its brilliant best,” Ms Chipchase said.

There’s more to see and do than ever before at this year’s Vivid Sydney as hundreds of artists, musicians, thinkers and creatives prepare to share their musings and masterpieces with locals and visitors.

There’ll be more dazzling lights with over 90 installations and projections. There’ll be more light bulb moments, with more than 280 thought provoking Vivid Ideas sessions to illuminate and ignite debate and discussion; while more than 400 music events – more than double last year – will light up stages across Sydney, providing the soundtrack to the city’s favourite festival.

Highlights include:

VIVID LIGHT

Over 90 light installations and projections created by 180 Australian and international artists across seven precincts will light up Vivid Sydney 2017. Some highlights include:

Lighting Of The Sails – Audio Creatures: Dive into an indescribable world of colour and light, from pulsating sea creatures lurking deep in the harbour to shimmering plant life above it, in this audio and visual feast projected on the city’s ultimate canvas, the sails of the Sydney Opera House. (Circular Quay)

Trapdoor: Did the earth move for you? Step into this incredible optical illusion if you dare and see a spectacular, mysterious, cavernous underworld open before your eyes – and under your feet. Fantastical floor murals and sensational scene swaps spring to life to tell the stories of Barangaroo. (Barangaroo South)

Magicians Of The Mist: Lasers, fountains, flame jets, music and fireworks will celebrate the power of creativity and innovation through millenia in this spectacular projection show. (Darling Harbour)

Electric Forest: Enter a strange world of illuminated plants, illusions and a changing psychoacoustic soundtrack as the forest comes to life, from wild hanging fruits to schools of fish, all projected onto a stunning giant fig tree in this collaborative piece by TAFE NSW art, design, animation and music students. (The Royal Botanic Garden Sydney)

Lights For The Wild:Step into the mouth and walk through PJ the Port Jackson Shark, one of the many illuminated sculptures of endangered animals that captivate young and old and shine a light on conservation. (Taronga Zoo)

Steampunk Waterworld: No need to go 20,000 leagues under the sea. An incredible submerged steampunk water world of lights, sounds and special effects inspired by the likes of Jules Verne awaits at the Reflection Pool in The Concourse. (Chatswood)

VIVID MUSIC

More than 400 music events and creative collaborations will entertain audiences across 40 venues, including:

Curve Ball: After a sensational debut last year, creatives, artists and musicians return to deliver another immersive audio and visual spectacular combining quality dance music and stunning visuals. This large scale live music event curated by Fuzzy music will feature SAFIA, Client Liason, and Tkay Maidza (3pm-10pm Sunday 11 June, Carriageworks).

Hidden Sydney – The Glittering Mile: An exhilarating excursion into the roller coaster ride that is the story of Kings Cross and the colourful cast of characters that gave it its gritty, glittery history. (25 May – 18 June, The World Bar, Kings Cross).

Dappled Cities: Sydney based indie rock band Dappled Cities present their new album IIIII (pronounced five). Combining their trademark layered soundscape with an immersive lighting spectacle the one-off concert will showcase the characteristic ethereal melodies and textures that have made Dappled Cities one of the most beloved indie bands to emerge from Sydney over the past two decades. (4 June, City Recital Hall)

Game-Changer: What’s the buzz? Find out what the future holds for media in the social age at this talk from the Web’s king of viral content, Buzzfeed founder, CEO and media visionary Jonah Peretti. (28 May, City Recital Hall)

Game-Changer: Academy Award-winning director Oliver Stone will appear in conversation with Margaret Pomeranz. The Hollywood veteran is lauded for some of the most influential films of our time. (28 May, City Recital Hall)

Game-Changer: One of the world’s most respected street artists, the iconic Shepard Fairey will create one of his largest public murals ever in the heart of Sydney’s CBD. Best known for his Barack Obama HOPE campaign, and this year’s ‘We The People’ initiative, Shepard will be sharing his do-it-yourself approach, his career highlights, and how he managed to turn his creativity into an authentic voice in street culture. (17 June, Sydney Town Hall)

The Sunrise Conference: Hear directly from start-up founders fostering an innovative start up ecosystem. They’re contrarians, innovators and entrepreneurs and they’re sharing their stories and insights into the future of technology and business. (31 May, Carriageworks)

Semi Permanent: Attend live events, workshops and presentations from trailblazers that are shaking things up as they design the future at this series of interactive, immersive experiences, with innovators from Getty Images, Nike, Uber, Google and more. (25-27 May, Carriageworks)

Good Design Festival: Join designing minds and check out the annual award winners and experience the world’s best design, creativity and innovation in everything from cars and furniture to gadgets and apps at the free Good Design Showcase Exhibition. (8 – 11 June, Overseas Passenger Terminal)

TOP TIPS FOR VISITORS

Make the most of your Vivid Sydney experience with these handy hints:

Time it right – Early in the festival, early in the week and early in the evening are the most relaxed times to enjoy Vivid Sydney. Lights on at 6pm.

Get an even earlier start – It’s lights on from 5:30pm at Taronga Zoo and Chatswood – ideal to get young children home for bedtime or take in the lights before dining out.

Travel smart – Vivid Sydney precincts are close to public transport links and extra train and bus services will operate throughout the festival. The best train stations to access Vivid Sydney precincts are Central, Town Hall, Wynyard, Martin Place and Chatswood. Exhibition Centre and Convention are the best Light Rail stops for the Darling Harbour precinct.

Leave the car at home – Extensive city road closures and special event clearways will be in place in the CBD and The Rocks and will make driving and parking difficult, so leave your car at home and take public transport.

Stay up to date – Keep a Vivid Sydney planner in your pocket using the smartphone app or website on your mobile device for the latest information and locations. Download the Vivid Sydney app or visit the Vivid Sydney website at vividsydney.com.

Keep kids safe – Pick up a wristband from Vivid Sydney information booths at Darling Harbour, Customs House & West Circular Quay, add your contact number and pop it on your childrens’ wrists to make it easy to be reunited should you get separated.

Help is at hand – Look for Vivid Sydney’s friendly army of volunteers in their bright pink jackets who are there to answer your questions or point you in the right direction.